God in the face of injustice

Inevitable questions that come up in the midst of injustice are about where God is and what He is doing to end it. In exploitation and in the pains of violence, as victims of evil and in the midst of our current personal struggles, even those with strong faith are bound to wonder whether God cares.

Many times, I have held a silent thought (silent because I often fear that God might discover it), wondering where God is in the middle of the injustice of abortion. After almost forty years of legalized violence in the womb, which should be one of the coziest, safest places, with millions of murdered children who are not even allowed to be born – after seeing the videos where little arms and legs are yanked out of innocent babies who feel pain, with often an expression on their wrinkled foreheads, trying to move away from the abortionists’ tools, and after hearing the many angry and violent cries from women who demand the right to end the lives of these innocent people, I cannot help but ask God, “Where are you in the middle of this injustice? How long will you allow it to go on?”

I have never said this out loud in my prayers because I have been too scared to admit my doubts, but because God knows the contents of my heart, He gave me a response to my unuttered question:

In Psalm 82, God asks His people, “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?” We ask God where He is in the midst of oppression, and He responds by asking us the same thing. God expects us, His people, to be moved by injustice and suffering because He is moved. The psalm continues with a command: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked (v. 2-4).” If the Church really is the body of Christ – if we are His arms and legs, then it is through us that He shows up against injustice. If we have the Holy Spirit in us, it is through our flesh and bones that He acts in the world. When we ask Him to fight against evil, we are asking only to be part of something He is already doing. This Psalm reveals that God expects us to fight injustice if we are to see His power.

I cannot think of even one example where injustice ended by an abrupt, miraculous act from an invisible God. From as far back as the Israelite emancipation from Egypt to the establishment of the early church; from the American struggle of abolitionism to the fight against Nazi Germany and in the battle for Civil Rights, God has raised up leaders: famous and unknown women and men with imperfect lives and inconceivable flaws who said, “Lord, use me” and obeyed.

This is the way in which God ends injustice. It is through women and men who are scared of what people think of them but say and vote and do what is right anyway. It is through women and men who love their families and life and do not want to die, but who are still willing to lay down their lives if that is what it will take for them to continue fighting. It is through women and men who battle with fear at night, who at times feel alone and isolated, but who are still willing to lead people by serving them in order to see the justice of God complete. This is the way in which God ends injustice.

Of course, our work will go only as far as our strength and abilities if we do it on our own, but when we are working for the Lord under His infinite strength and wisdom, our victory is guaranteed despite our shortcomings. The end of the psalm reads, “Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance” (v. 8). The speaker, after hearing God’s command to fight injustice, puts the responsibility back on God because ultimately, it is only He who can guarantee the victory, and in this way Christ and the Church work together.

In the midst of injustice and suffering, as a Christian, I will inevitably wonder where God is, and if I want to know the answer, I must look at what the Church is doing, remembering that I am the Church. If God is to fight injustice, He will do it with His body. I must remember that I am His body, and if I am His body, then it is through me that God will end this terrible injustice of killing innocent people in the womb. I pray that all of us will understand this and say, “Lord, use me,” for this is the way in which God ends injustice.

Do you agree or disagree?

Do you believe that it is through the Church that God will end the injustice of abortion?

What are some ideas you have to actively participate in the ending of abortion?

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Matthias

Of course, this is all part of Christ’s own victory. It IS the injustice of the Cross. Because He said: whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do unto me. He Himself is being slaughtered inside those abortion mills. But He is trampling it down, for He tramples down death by death! It is absolutely God’s plan to end abortion through His Church – so all of us MUST pray for Him to use us. This isn’t about Him helping us, but about us helping Him.

Laura

I think abortion will end when people let God work through them to accomplish all He has in store. It’s when society rejects Him and all He stands for that we’ve come to where we are today, and it is through Him we will be led back to a time when killing is not justified. While it is important to educate people on the horror of abortion, I think it is also necessary to change hearts and minds and turn them toward Jesus so that abortion becomes a thought of the past: a terrible injustice brought to an end by people who believe God is bigger than ANY man-made atrocity.

Wade Felty

Don’t you get it, God doesn’t care, because he has more important things to worry about, such as why so many of his purported followers act in exactly the opposite way that Jesus did, or why “pro-life” people vote for anti-life Republican candidates who believe women aren’t people but corporations are. God does not care, and he won’t be helping you.

MoonChild02

I know that writing to you may just be feeding someone who is trolling the people of this website, or whatever, but I’m writing anyway, purely because I know that you are mislead, and I don’t like seeing people so mislead.

You really believe that God doesn’t care? God cares about every life on this planet. He created us, there is a reason for the existence of every life He creates. I don’t pretend to know the mind of God, but this much I know, for He has told me, through the Bible, through visionaries, and through my own experiences. He does not create without purpose.

As to the Republican candidates, I’m not sure which ones you’re talking about, because there are a broad number of them who need to be brought down, just as there are a great many Democrats who need to be deposed. However, thinking that God doesn’t care for some because of “more pressing matters” limits God, and God doesn’t live in a box. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He cares about all forms of injustice, and sees to those as much as He sees to the tiniest of matters, such as helping a child of His find a lost object. God loves everyone, and cares about the matters of all of His children because He is the embodiment of love. He is Love.

As to whether He will help us or not, consider this: It wasn’t until a full exorcism was carried out on the property of the Rockford, Illinois abortion “clinic”, that it finally closed its doors. Furthermore, most of the closings have happened at places where 40 Days For Life, a peaceful prayer movement, has happened. Now, if God were truly against the pro-life movement, wouldn’t He have kept those places open?

Anabenderas

lol

MoonChild02

I agree whole-heartedly, Ana. I have seen so much in my life that proves the existence of God, and His Love, and I know that He cares. I know that He is there, but He doesn’t act specifically because it would be interference in the gift of free will that He has given us. He gave us free will so that we would be free to love Him, because forced love is not love at all, but slavery. Therefore, He allows sin to exist, and for us to fall away from Him, so that we may choose to love Him of our own free will. I’m not great at explaining it, so the best theologians I know of to read it from would be St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica, and St. Augustine in his On Free Choice of the Will (sorry, it can’t be found for free online, somehow Cambridge owns the copyright to a 1700-year-old document) and On Grace and Free Will.

Being that we, the faithful, make up the Church, yes, it is through the Church, through the people, that God will end this injustice.

To actively participate in the ending of abortion, I participate in walks, I participate in pro-life discussions, and I pray in front of clinics. I really want to become involved in local pro-life groups, however, I have had the hardest time with transportation, lately.

A major aspect that I have noticed, which not many seem to be addressing, except maybe a few priests once in a great while, is the subject of spiritual warfare. While abortion is a scientific and political subject, there is also a religious nature to it. To come at the subject from a perspective of religion, particularly Christianity, abortion is a matter of spiritual warfare. This has been seen, as the Rockford “clinic” was finally taken down after an exorcism, and many of the victories have happened during prayer campaigns such as 40 Days For Life. However, I don’t think that people in the pro-life community actually grasp the gravity of what the term “spiritual warfare” means. It’s not just an abstract concept. It means the actual presence of true evil in our midst. It means that demons are actually here, in person. It means that this is not something to be taken lightly. I’ve been haunted my entire life. I know what spiritual warfare means, because I’ve dealt with it on a personal level. I have seen shadowy figures, heard growls, had objects thrown at me from out of nowhere, felt the paralyzing fear that the presence of the demons actually emits, and sat up in bed, scared out of my wits, with the lights on, until sunrise. It wasn’t until about five or six years ago that I was finally able to figure out
how to deal with it, and, trust me, prayer is more than important, it is essential, and so is surrounding oneself with love. I hope to bring my knowledge of the subject of spiritual warfare, and practices that I employ, to the pro-life community, to help others understand what it is, and how important it is in fighting this evil.

Ana, what a great article!! God is waiting for US to do something. And we need to do it quickly! I believe judgment is already falling on us, and our number one sin — besides ignoring God completely in this society — is killing the innocent!

Mark Glembocki

Ana….. My family and I pray every day and every night that abortion will end. We are stand up for the unborn children in every public forum possible,,,,,, I know God is on our side however I to wonder why he allows these babies to be slaughtered,,, In HIS infinite wisdom there is a reason,,, HIS only son was innocent,,,,, and look what happened to him!!!!.. somewhere in my dispair over abortion I get these waves of calm when I think of the possibiliy of all of these children ascending directly to heaven to be with our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Surely there is no purgatory for them! … Yes there is pain just as Jesus felt pain,,,, but these children do get a chance to be born and there is life for them,,,,,,, born into the kingdom of heaven where they will have everlasting life! ……… Not sure if I can say the same for the abortionist who took their life here in this temporal place we call earth! ,,,,,

PS —- We love Live Action and all you do!…. God Bless you all!…. Mark G and Family

12angry_men

No, you can’t say the same for them. Fortunately, your beliefs on who should and should not enter into the kingdom of heaven do not have any bearing on the matter.

Mark Glembocki

Not sure I get your point,….. sounds like you may not be a believer and with that I will pray for you. It’s quite simple…… those without sin or those who truly repented for their sin will enjoy the fruits of everlasting life in heaven with our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Those who have not truly repented will not! It is in the Bible and it is the premise of which this country is founded (Christianity). If the abortionist has repented as did Dr Bernard Nathanson,,, at some point in his journey he will end up in heaven.

Stands to reason that a man speaking truth about our country’s Christian failth should be challenged on a blog embedded within a prolife website! Simply stating that the mutilated babies will enjot everlasting life in heaven and the unrepentent abortionist will not.
Christianity and in particular, Catholicism is under heavy attack in this country,,, it is the in thing to do, so fire way…….. just realize that without the faith.,,,,,,, life becomes about the NOW,,,, what can I take from who,,,, The strong rule this country,,, in the whitehouse and on the streets,,,,,,, life has been devalued to the point where we are all worthless in the eyes of many….just turn on the news in any city, in any state,,,, same old tired song of mayhem and violence!

12angry_men

I have read the Bible numerous times, I know what’s in there. Furthermore I attended a Catholic school for 13 years, I know what the Catholic teachings are. And listen, if you have read the Bible at all and truly believe what it is saying, then you can’t even pretend to know if the abortionists will get into heaven or not. Are you saying you are above God and know their hearts? I thought not, if you are truly a Christian then you know that only God knows the heart of man. Quit pretending like you do.

Mark Glembocki

I will pray for you,,,, you are for sure 1angry_man!

12angry_men

And I will pray for you, that God will open your heart to love those that are the hardest to love, and that he will remove the judgement you seem to hold dear.

http://twitter.com/CalFreiburger Calvin Freiburger

Only God knows man’s heart, but we can know man’s deeds — and abortion violates “thou shalt not murder.” God is perfectly willing to forgive abortionists if they repent, but it’s perfectly within the scope of man’s knowledge to say that unrepentant murder gravely endangers the fate of one’s soul.

12angry_men

All sin is grievous in the eyes of God (unless you’re Catholic, who have different levels of sin) according to the Bible. It bugs me when people who proclaim to be “real” Christians are so quick to condemn people.

I meant condemn in the sense of condemning them to hell (if you read the conversation carefully you would have seen that), not in the sense of disagreeing with their actions and standing against them. It’s one thing to say you don’t agree with something and saying it’s wrong (I certainly am fine with that), and another to dismissively state that someone’s soul is most certainly lost forever.

Rasms

Start with this….”Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Ever tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt 7:17-20) Granted Christ is talking about false prophets in this particular passage, but the point is still made by Christ himself that you can tell someone’s heart by their actions. To “repent” means more than saying “I’m sorry; forgive me”. It means you are sorry and intend to change with the help of God. An abortionist who says he is “sorry” but with the full intention of going to his job the very next day has not repented and in fact has lied to God in his confession.

12angry_men

You don’t need to quote the Bible to me, as I stated before I have read it many times. Therefore I most certainly know what the word “repent” means, and my earlier comment still stands.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001992433984 Becca Leigh

Abortion has poisoned the minds and hearts of so many people that it is essential that women who experience an abortion and suffer from the consequences continue to speak up and tell the true realities of the harm it causes. I am one of them and decided that the only thing I can do to honor the life taken at my hands is to do everything in my power to teach women what kind of psychological pain it causes. The physical pain will go away but this decision is something that will affect your mental state for the rest of your life. Fellow pro-lifers should be aware that when they call me a “murderer”, it is not a new thought to cross my mind and there is nothing they can say to me that I haven’t already thought of myself. We should be encouraged to tell our stories because it is a pain that I wish I could prevent every woman from experiencing and the fight against this culture of death is ultimately a battle for hearts and minds.

amy

Pro-abortionists have successfully turned abortion into a political issue, whereby silencing the church into submission out of fear of losing their precious 5013c status. The American church needs to throw off the shackles of non-profit status, pay their taxes, and shout against this injustice from the pulpits all across the land.

Rolley Haggard

Great stuff, Ana, couldn’t agree more. Thank you. BTW, my article, “We Could End Abortion ‘Overnight’ – If We Really Wanted To” just went up over on Chuck Colson’s website: http://www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/articles/entry/12/19080

God has sent the Blessed Virgin Mary all over the world and her message has fallen on deft ears in many cases. Check out Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Necedah, Our Lady of Garabandal, Our Lady of Bayside, Our Lady of Akita, and/or Our Lady of Medjugorje. God does care and He has repeatedly sent the Blessed Virgin Mary to planet earth with a peace plan. The Blessed Virgin Mary has repeatedly asked for prayers, especially praying the Holy Rosary. Man has a free will and God will not infringe on it. However, prayer changes everything because God gives graces to choose love.

jmm483

How can we get pro-abortion and silent Americans to view abortion through the eyes of that child in the womb? In my mind, this is the key to changing hearts and minds. God expects us to use all of the gifts he gave us to bring abortion to an end. He will not part the Red Sea for us. He has given us what we need.

AMDG

Thanks, Ana. A question that is surely on many minds, and a thought-provoking answer without sounding trite. Particularly liked, “It is through women and men who are scared of what people think of them but say and vote and do what is right anyway.”

Sparky

Ahhhh Ana has discovered the Epicurian Problem of Evil. Hooray for Ana! Seems to me that argument always ends with an impotent, complicit god…

Cyeager1

Ana, wonderful though provoking article. It is important to recall God loves us so much he has given us free will to choose as we wish. This means we are given the ability to choose life over death, good over evil. God will never take away our free will, but he will ask us to follow his will. As he asked Mary at the Annunciation, he asks us for our yes! But that yes comes with dying to self and resurrecting in Christ. While this sounds like a great easy idea it take much prayer and discipline to voluntarily take up ones cross and suffer. The Catholic Church is the mechanism to aid us in our yes through the seven sacraments. Through the sacraments, especially reconciliation, communion, and baptism, we are able to full carry out not our will but Gods will. Since its Easter the Pascal Mystery is a perfect example. Christ is the passover sacrifice, the best Lamb, and through his sacrifice death has passed over us. However, in Jewish tradition the sacrificed of Lamb must be consumed, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, to take part in the passover. We must do the same, take part in the sacrifice of the Lamb, and in eat the Lamb. However, we need to sacrifice as well to do God’s will, we need to offer our best Lamb to Christ and take up our cross. So, say yes to the will of God and take part in the Pascal Mystery! God will always be present he just asks our yes! :0)